Return to the Digital World, But Not Alone
by Lost and Never Found
Summary: Sent back by Ophanimon, a mysterious girl seeks the kids who were once the Legendary Warriors six years after their return. However, she also seeks those who were destined to be the corrupted Warriors without Cherubimon's influence. Will she find them?
1. Prolouge

**First Digimon fic, but what the heck? This is Fourth Season, in case the summary didn't clue you in. Only this part will be in first person, then I'll switch back to the normal omnescient.**

**Disclaimer: Me no ownie, now shoe!**

Looking down at the pink and gold device in my hands, I asked skeptically, "My lady, are you sure this is necessary? I feel like an idiot..."

"Don't be so concerned. You'll fit right in there."

"If you say so..." Sighing, I pocketed the device and headed up the stone stairs of the school building.

'Fit right in... Right, Lady Ophanimon. I fit in like a Gatomon among a bunch of Tentomon...' I thought dryly. Everyone was wearing the school uniform of green plaid skirts or kaki pants, a green blazer, and a white shirt. My baggy black cargos, pink sneakers, and pink Chinese style top with gold accents made me feel very off. That and the bright pink streaks through my hair...

I didn't ask to be human, okay? I just got made into one by Lady Ophanimon...

Who am I? Oh, that's an easy one. To you humans, I'm known as Elle Lancaster, the new girl with a bad attitude. To those of you that are Digimon... Promise not to take my Fractual Code? Yeah? Good, then you can call me Ellemon, though I'm better known as Crusadormon.

Hey, you promised, remember?

And besides, I got purified. Over and over and over and over... You see, this is the first time I've ever made it past the _Rookie_ stage, must less anything else. Everytime some one figured out who I once was, they destroyed me right there. I got seperated from Dynasmon, but I bet he's been going through it too. I don't blame the Digimon at all... But I am glad that I'm under Lady Ophanimon's care now. I just didn't know what she would make me do in return...

What am I doing? Oh, another easy one. I have to track down ten kids, five of which I actually know, restore to them the Spirits of the Ten Legendary Warriors, and then get them back to the Digital World. All without clueing the adults into my scheme.

I never said it was an easy task, just an easy question.

**That t'would be all for now... R&R and TTFN!**


	2. Chapter 1

**New chapter! And it's longer, so you can thank me now. (silence) Okay, fine! (pouts) Here's the first chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Shoe, shoe! I know own!**

Tapping the desk in front of him, the teacher called this homeroom to attention. "Class, pay attention! We have a new student." That comment brought instant hush, the girls gripping each others hands hopefully and the boys grinning as they considered the possibilities. "Now, she's very new-." the girls groaned and pouted, "-and doesn't know anyone here. I want you all to be kind to her." The boys shared knowing looks and waited.

After a few moments of silence, the shoji door slowly slid open and the new girl walked in. Her appearance made all the boys oogle and the girls pout even more. Tall and slender, she had a full figure that would make even the gayest man drool. Her blonde hair was tied up in high pigtails with pink ribbons wrapped around them, matching the pink streaks tracing through the gold strands. Her full mouth was in permanent pout, making her seem vulnerable, and bright crystal blue eyes looked over a delicate nose. She stood out even more because she wasn't in the school uniform yet. Her eyes were wide and beautiful, her best feature, though there was a level of sadness there that made one think that she would cry at the slightest comment.

"Students, meet Elle Lancaster, your new classmate. Elle, there's an empty seat next to Zoey- Oh that's right, Zoey isn't here today. Moko, please indicate Elle's seat, please." The teacher requested, not noticing the way Elle's eyes narrowed into a clever, knowing look as she heard the name Zoey. Taking her seat, she continued to listen as the teacher proceeded to give the class the daily announcements and warnings. She wasn't paying too close of attention; her duty was to find the Ten and go home, hoping that Lady Ophanimon would keep up her protection so she could become a Royal Knight again and find Dynasmon. Worry always filled her when she thought of her old partner; she hadn't seen him in so long, she was unsure if he had made it as far up the Digivolution cycle as her. Back home, she was Ellemon, the champion form of Crusadormon. However, this was the first time she got that far. She'd been caught as Curaremon, her In-Training form, and her Fractual Code scanned everytime.

Without knowing it, she had started doodling on the back page of the notebook she had brought with her. Looking down at the drawing, she saw a crude sketch of her when she was Crusadormon and Dynasmon. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly forced them away just as the bell rang, signalling the beginning of first period. Hurriedly gathering her things, she hurried in the direction of the gym, where her first class was. For some strange reason, humans had required times for training in completely useless skills. Last she checked, only a limited number of these "sports" could be used for anything important.

The teacher in this particular class was an oversized, loud woman who shoved a gym uniform in her hands and pushed her into the locker room. Ignoring the snotty looks she was receiving, she yanked on the very short green shorts and white sweater. Digging through the mass of shoes up to be borrowed, she found her size after much searching and yanked them on as well. Dreading what was about to happen, she followed the other girls out of the changing rooms, only to find that this class was happening at the same time as the boy's gym class. Appreciative whistles were coming from the more crude boys, and Elle couldn't help but feel disgusted. Female Digimon were never put out on display like this to the males, and she didn't like it now.

The couch and some of the older girls were spreading out mats along with other equiment one often associates with gymnastics. Elle couldn't help but feel relieved. If it had been any other human activity, she would have been making an idiot out of herself, since she didn't know the first thing about them. However, she had found that gymnastics and what they called martial arts paralleled with her training regiment. Now at ease, she listened attentively as the teacher explained that they would be going between stations: balance beams, mats, and then work with the couch herself. Many of the girls groaned, but went to the appropriate station.

Elle was placed first at the balance beam. While standing in line, Elle listened in on two of the other girls in front of her. One was dainty and slim, with long curly black hair, warm eyes, and a Latina complection. The other girl was almost entirely opposite, with straight red hair, bright green eyes, porclein skin, and a tall, stockier frame. Both were getting sidelong looks from the boys and were enjoying the attention.

"Really, you'd think they never saw a lady before." the Latina said, bating her eyelashes at one boy in particular. Her voice had a nice drawl to it, though Elle couldn't place the location.

Before the redhead could respond, the assistant couch called, "Caroline McAlester! You're up!" Pouting, the Latina hurried up to the high beam. Elle noted with a bit of interest that she was pretty good, if she would stop posing for the boys.

"Caroline's a real piece of work, but she can be really nice." The redhead suddenly said to her. "I'm Hitomi Shibamoto, by the way."

"Elle Lancaster." she answered automatically.

Smiling, the redhead said, "You're the new girl that everyone's talking about." She laughed when Elle looked at her with shocked eyes. "Oh, don't be so surprised! Caroline and I are always up with the new people and what everyone thinks of them. Actually, Caroline's concerned that you're going to take away her crown as Valentine's Sweetheart this year."

Snorting in disbelief, Elle said, "Don't worry, she can have it. As a matter of fact, I doubt that I'll be here in time for that." Sensing the question, she hurriedly answered, "I move around a lot, not staying in one place very long. I'll probably be here a few months, tops."

"Ouch." Hitomi said sympathetically, then she got called up to the highbeam. Both Elle and Caroline watched, though when Hitomi was finished Caroline was the only one to offer constructive criticism. Now it was Elle's turn. Taking a steadying breath, she agreeably climbed up on to the thick beam, expertly balancing on both feet. At the assistant's direction, she performed cartwheels, rolls, and flips. None of them were too difficult, though the terms sometimes confused her. When she jumped down, she was surprised by Hitmoi hugging her. "Oh my gosh, that was so good! You have to join the gymnatics squad while you're here!"

Caroline smiled at her as well, "I do declare, you are just marvelous up there! If you are that good on the mats, you'll be a fabulous addition to the team, simply fabulous!"

Elle felt awkward under such high praises. Rubbing the back of her neck, she feebly protested, and reminded the two how little time she had here. Thankfully, the coach's whistle kept them from arguing with her. Hurrying, she moved on to the next station and avoided them for the rest of the class.

She treated the rest of the classes with a slight bit of contempt. She had learned the basics of this world to at least appear up to speed with everyone else, but the information was otherwise worthless to her. Mostly, she thought and daydreamed while those around her chattered like humans do. When the final bell of the day rung, she was relieved to head to the small flat she was "renting".

What stopped her was the sounds of a fight coming from an alley just past the school. Pausing, she listened closer, only to snicker as a girl, probably close to her own age, started cussing out a bunch of guys. Moving closer, she saw that a large group of guys from her own school were ganged up on a girl she hadn't met in any of her classes. The stranger actually threw one of them over her shoulder before they started to overwhelm her. Deciding that she could help maybe this once, she joined in the rubble.

A few minutes later, all the guys were scattered across the alley, bleeding and moaning while the two girls caught their breath. "You... were pretty... good." the girl said.

"Thanks." Elle said shortly.

Standing from her crouched position, the stranger offered her hand, "Name's Sakura Kino. You're Elle Lancaster, right? I saw you around campus today."

"That's right." With a smile, Elle took the offered hand, only to find the following events shocking.

Sakura was a petite girl dressed in the school uniform with short, choppy brunette hair, hard, dark emerald green eyes and tan skin from the summer. However, that had briefly changed. Her haircut was still choppy, but now much longer and with more of a red tint. A strange visor covered her eyes, and she was dressed in bronze armor with green cloth, brown boots on her feet. Sprouting from her back were wings shaped like leaves, each a varied, natural color. Few would recognize her, but Elle did. It was Seasonfloramon, the true Legendary Warrior of Wood. Ophanimon had shown her the true images of the Warriors to be.

Sakura was the Legendary Warrior of Wood.

**And voila, the end! Of this chapter, anyway.**

**New Note: Okay, here's the deal. I had a wrong name in the last sentence of this chapter, so I had to take it down and repost it. Sorry to all of you that reviewed already.**


	3. Chapter 2

**I give you the new chapter! I know it took forever, but this is only a side project. My IY story goes first. I work on this between chapters, so that's why it took so long. Once the last three chapters of the IY story are done, this will be my focus story, promise!**

**Thanks to all of you who reviewed!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. If I did, Koji would end up with somebody, and Tai and Sora would have gotten together in Season Two. Matt would just have to have been happy with Mimi.**

Elle was pleased that she had found the first of the Legendary Warriors, but Sakura was looking at her with something similar to horror. Looking down at their clasped hands, she saw that the gold wristband on her wrist when she was Ellemon had appeared. It was a steady clue that she had taken on her Digimon form, just like Sakura. When Sakura yanked away, they both returned to their human forms.

"Look, I know this is strange, but please hear me out." Elle said, trying to sound soothing. Sakura was looking at her like she was some kind of monster, then she seemed to check to make sure she was human again. Elle waited patiently and noted that despite first impressions, Sakura was actually a few years younger than her, then took Sakura's hand. The girl looked back with frightened eyes.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked, her voice a mockery of strong.

Elle smiled slightly, then said, "I am Elle Lancaster, but only as far as the outside world is concerned. To you, and to others, I am known as Ellemon."

Snorting, Sakura said skeptically, "Ellemon?"

With a laugh, Elle nodded. "Yes. Are you going to be calm now?"

Sakura shrugged. "Yeah, guess so. So what was that all about?"

"It'll take a while to explain... Think you could stop by my house in an hour? I should be ready then..."

"Cool. See ya!" With that, Sakura went running off.

Chuckling, Elle went to the rather barren apartment she was living in. One bed, one bath, and a combined living room and kitchen. In the bedroom, she reached under the bed and pulled out a box. Inside, lay ten D-Tectors. Six were familiar to her. They were the devices of the original Legendary Warriors, and inside lay the Human and Beast Spirits. In the four others lay the ones that belonged to the new ones she had to find. She pulled out a green one with pink edges and set it out. Inside lay the Spirits of Wood, the ones she was sure belonged to Sakura. The others she put away, though not without looking at one. Pink with gold edges, it always drew her attention because it matched the cellphone Lady Ophanimon gave her for contacting the Digital World. However, she turned aside the urge to touch it and shoved the box under her bed. Those weren't hers to mess with.

Standing with a sigh, she went back to the living room and waited. Lo and behold, a knock at the door ten minutes later told her that her guest had arrived. Opening the door, she pulled Sakura in before there was a change for anyone to notice. "What's the big idea?" the teenage girl demanded.

"This apartment is supposedly vacant. No one can know I'm here. The other tenants think I'm some one else's visiting relative." Elle explained while heading back into the living room. Sakura quickly shed her shoes and followed her.

"So why are you here, anyway? And where are you really from?"

Sitting down, Elle began to tell her story, "I was sent here by Lady Ophanimon, one of the Celestial Digimon. I was sent for ten humans who harbor inside of them the essence of the ten Legendary Warriors. Six of them I have already met, six years ago. They came to the Digital World then as children." A smile twitched at the corner of her lips. "We weren't exactly friends then. It's why I had to be given a new form for finding them this time around."

"So that's what was up with the funky new appearance in the alley..." Sakura mused. "But what does this half to do with me? I've never been to this Digital World."

"Haven't you?" Elle questioned. "Six years ago, did you get a strange phone call, directing you to the train station?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "A bunch of us got those messages... Wait, that was you?"

Elle couldn't help laughing. "No, not me. I wasn't in the picture yet. It was Lady Ophanimon. She was searching for those kids I mentioned earlier. Five of them answered, and the sixth one was brought in later." Turning it over in her head, she added, "And maybe you can help me find them again. Do you know of twin boys, both with dark hair and blue eyes? They should be close to our age."

"Koji and Koichi? Yeah, they're in my home room. Why? Were they...? Oh, how cool!" Sakura's eyes gleamed. "Who else was involved?"

Elle struggled to remember. "A blonde girl named Zoey, she's in my homeroom. Another boy, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, and a younger boy, with brown hair and green eyes-."

"The older boy is Takuya, I see him in soccer club, and the younger, I think, is Tommy. I've seen him hanging around..." Elle couldn't help noticing that the younger girl blushed. She didn't understand the odd human behavior, but brushed it aside.

"The last was heavier then the others, older too I think. Light brown hair, brown eyes..."

That one took Sakura a few minutes to place. "Oh, that's J.P.! He graduated last year, and attends the local university. But you said there was suppose to be ten of us, right? Well, those six plus me only equals seven."

Elle sighed and started playing with the ends of one of her pigtails. "I know. I think I know who two of the others are; I'll know for sure tomorrow. But I haven't seen a sign of anyone else who reminds me of the last one."

"Reminds you? So you know personality wise what you're looking for?"

The older girl/Digimon nodded. "You remind me of the false Warrior of Wood, Arbormon. Very strong and assertive. Hitomi Shibamoto reminds me of the false Warrior of the Earth, Grumblemon, but nicer. And Caroline McAlester..." Elle couldn't help grinning. "Every time she opens her mouth, I hear the false Warrior of Water, Ranamon."

"What was the tenth like?"

Elle frowned. "Mercurymon was coolly intelligent, and a master stratigest. He was the false Warrior of Metal."

Sakura sighed and leaned on the palm of her hand. "So, what now?"

Reaching over to the coffee table, Elle handed Sakura the D-Tector she took out of the box earlier. "This is yours. Keep it with you at all times. Once I give those devices to each of the ten warriors, all eleven of us will immediately be sucked into the Digital World to deal with the threat rising there."

After examining the device, Sakura asked, "Do you want me to give Tommy, Takuya, Koji, and Koichi theirs? It wouldn't be that big of a deal."

Stunned, Elle said, "Well, yes. That would be great. Let me go get them..." She returned to her bedroom and grabbed the box of D-Tectors. Returning to the living room, she dug around till she pulled out white and green, black and red, white and blue, and black and gray D-Tectors. Handing them to Sakura, she watched her tuck them into her school bag. "Don't lose those." the Digimon warned. "The Spirits in them can cause major problems in the wrong hands."

Sakura waved her fears away with a flick of her wrist. "No worries. I see them all first thing in the morning. I can't possibly lose them that quickly."

Elle watched the human girl leave for home, and sighed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

**She doesn't know the half of it... TTFN!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Woot! New chapter, ya'll! I manage my writing time better during the school year, as I'm sure you've noticed.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Now go away so I can cry.**

Sakura forced her dry throat to swallow as she stared. It was early morning after her meeting with Elle; at first, she had thought it a bad dream. The D-Tectors on her desk had taken that thought away. She had run into Takuya and Tommy on her way to the school. They were walking ahead of her, laughing and joking around. 'Well...' she took a deep breath. 'Might as well get this over with.' "Hey Takuya!" she yelled, running to catch up.

He turned to see who yelled, then smiled and said, "Oh hey, Sakura! What's up?"

Biting her lip as she stood in front of them, she thought of the best way to explain it. "I met someone the other day, says she met you and Tommy both six years ago, along with a bunch of other people."

"Oh really?" Tommy said curiously. "Who was she?"

"New girl. Most people know her as Elle Lancaster." Hesitating, Sakura took the plunge, figuratively speaking, "But she says that she's better known as Ellemon."

"Elle...mon?" Takuya drug out, then gasped, "Wait, you mean she's a Digimon?!?" Grinning, Sakura nodded. "As in, the Digital World? What the hell was she doing here?"

Shrugging, she said, "Something about a threat to the Digital World, a Celestial Digimon sending her to find ten kids, and Legendary Warriors. Oh! She also wanted me to give you two these!" Digging in her backpack, she pulled out the handful of D-tectors. "Oh crud! She didn't tell me which was which! One of these is for each of you, and the other two are for Koji and Koichi."

"No problem, Sakura. We've done this before." Tommy assured her casually, then reached for the white and green device, Takuya eagerly grabbing the black and red one. "I'm kinda surprised that Ellemon would trust a human with giving us these."

"Um..." Blushing faintly, Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. "Actually, she said she had been looking for me too..."

"You? What for?" Takuya said bluntly. "You've never been to the Digital World."

Puffing up, she said angrily, "Oh yes I did! I was there too, when we all got those funky messages! It just turns out that my Spirit had been corrupted!"

Tommy looked at her closely, and Sakura couldn't help blushing. "You're not kidding." he said in disbelief. "Which Spirit?"

Muttering under her breath, Sakura looked down at the ground shyly, "Wood. When Elle touched my hand, she turned me into Seasonfloramon, the Legendary Warrior of Wood."

"Wood? Wait, you mean Arbormon!" Suddenly, Takuya burst out laughing. Scowling, Sakura whapped him on the arm to make him stop. "I'm sorry! But that guy was so strange! I mean, he was literally obsessed with cheeseburgers."

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Tommy swung his arm casually around Sakura's shoulders, ignorning her sudden bright-red face. "Sakura can put away more food than any other player in the soccer club, especially cheeseburgers."

Shoving his arm off of her, Sakura said furiously, "Knock it off, before I knock your block off." Normally, she was a bit of a stuttering idiot when she talked to Tommy, but when he said comments like that her crush took a backseat to her temper. "I'm not that bad!"

"Yeah, you are, but that's not the point right now." Takuya had suddenly turned thoughtful. "You said that one of the Celestial Digimon sent her? Do you remember which one?" Sakura shook her head. "Ah well... What about the threat, did she explain?"

"She said she would once she had most of these thingies handed out. She's got Zoey's and two of the other new people's with her." Inspiration struck her then. "Wait, I have an idea! Why don't we all get together this weekend? You all can invite J.P., and we'll have almost everyone together."

"Almost?" Tommy said skeptically.

Sakura could only shrug. "Elle can't figure out who's the Celestial Warrior of Metal. No one she's met reminds her of him. All the others she thinks are accounted for."

Takuya struck a thinking pose. "Metal, huh? That was Mecurymon. This shouldn't be too hard. All we have to find is the most snobby, coniving intellect of the bunch."

Snickering at the picture he made, she interjected, "Elle doesn't think so. She called Mercurymon a strategist, and that he was very proper. You're thinking of someone who was corrupted. She has to find the nice person who's like him."

The boys laughed and promised to rope everyone together for the talk. She beamed at them, then headed off for her own homeroom.

Elle, on the other hand, was cool as can be. Already settled in her seat, she had managed to get her hands on a school uniform so that she blended in better, though the pink streaks in her hair still earned her some strange looks. The blonde next to her was eyeing her especially. Elle couldn't help noticing how much Zoey had grown up in the years. Much curvier, she was still upfront and bubbly. Her hair was cut in a fashionable bob instead of the length Elle remembered, but her eyes were still that bright shade of green. Judging from her book covers, notebooks, folders, even her pens, purple and blue were still her favorite colors. Twidling her thumbs for a few more minutes, Elle decided she'd waited long enough. Without a word, she grabbed Zoey by the elbow and led her to stand outside the class.

"Hey, what are you doing? Class is going to start any minute!" Zoey protested, until Elle clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Are you done, so I can explain?" the Digimon asked crisply. When the other blonde nodded, she continued to speak, "I know who you are, Zoey, but you don't know me. Most people think I am the new girl, Elle Lancaster. Only you and your fellows may know my true name. I am Ellemon, servant to Ophanimon. I was sent to find the ten children who hold inside them the spirits of the Legendary Warriors. Six of you I already knew from the first trip you humans made. The others I had to find on my own. I have already found the Warrior of Wood, and believe that I have found the Warriors of Water and Earth. I am currently still searching for the Warrior of Metal. From what I have been led to believe, the Warrior of Wood believes that she can get us all together, minus the Warrior of Metal unless they appear out of nowhere. Someone will contact you and let you know when that meeting is. I'll give more details then." She dug in her pocket and pulled out the purple D-Tector, pressing it into Zoey's still hands as she walked back into class. The blonde girl barely recovered from her shock in time to hurry in after her before the bell rang.

In her own homeroom, Sakura scribbled a note on a piece of paper she tore out of her notebook: _Hey, Koji. Have you seen Takuya today?_. She then threw the paper expertly so it landed on the youngest of the twin's desk.

Koji was startled by the note, till he recognized the handwriting. Normally, Sakura was writting about Tommy. Mentioning Takuya was new. He quickly scribbled, _No, I haven't. Why?_

Resisting the urge to groan at her bad luck, Sakura scribbled back, _Cause it would have been easier to not have to explain the fact that I know about Digimon and the Digital World. Oh, and the fact that you, your brother, most of your friends, a couple of other people, and me hold the spirits of legendary warriors inside us._

Staring in disbelief at her response, it took Koji a moment to think of a reply. _Who told you?_

_A new girl whose really a Digimon sent by one of the Celestial Digimon to find us. Her name is Elle Lancaster or Ellemon._

Kouichi was curious as to what his brother was scribbling to Sakura so frantically about. Before Koji could send the note back, he grabbed it and read it, growing paler by the second. He now wrote under Koji's response.

_I don't remember anyone named Ellemon._

_**We didn't meet everyone, brother. She may have been scanned before we had the chance. Did Ellemon say what the problem was?**_

Sakura grinned, glad someone had asked. She scribbled out, _No, but I think we can bully it out of her at the meeting Takuya is having this weekend. If he can get a hold of J.P., we'll only be short one._

_One?_

_Yeah. Elle can't figure out who the Warrior of Metal is. She's found the rest of us, but not them._

_**I'm sure she'll figure it out soon enough. We'll talk to Takuya and figure out when the meeting is.**_

Pleased with herself, Sakura leaned back in her chair, eager now for this weekend.

**I hope I didn't confuse anyone with my note formatting. It was the best I could think of. In case you didn't figure it out:**

_Sakura_

_Koji_

_**Kouichi**_


	5. Chapter 4

**Finally! I finished this! Thanks for being patient!**

**Disclaimer: Me no own. If I did, Data Squad would never have appeared.**

Keeping her eyes focused on the balance beam in front of her, Elle took a deep breath and tried not to look at Hitomi and Caroline as she went through the drills. She had already asked them to meet her in the locker rooms once class was let out, and she was nervous as hell. Social skills weren't her thing, as her confrontation with Zoey had shown. Wincing at the memory of how harsh she was to the young girl, Elle made a mental note to apologize later.

Climbing down from the balance beam, she waved half-heartedly at Caroline before the Latina went into a complicated back flip. Hitomi was waiting for her nearby, smiling softly at the shy blonde. When Elle joined the three at the mats, they silently observed each other. While not as loud or outgoing as her best friend, Hitomi was a great perception of character. Caroline, for example, was a flirt, but inside she was really looking for a guy who thought she was fantastic, not just cute. She had a mind as sharp as the proverbial steel trap, and wasn't afraid to use it, though she tended to use it for fashion more than anything else. And above all else, Caroline hated being short. She often complained about it.

Hitomi herself was a quiet girl, though not necessarily shy. She thought about her decisions, though was well known for oversimplifying. Not the brightest of students, she was better known for common sense then high grades, and was hard to ruffle when it came to tests, gymnastic team meets, or...well, just about anything else. Some people joked she could face a rampaging bull with a calm eye. Her only real secret was her crush. Not even Caroline knew that she related to the oldest of the separated twin brothers, Kouichi, and would often look at him shyly when he walked past her in the halls.

Now, the redhead turned her observation skills to her newest friend. Shy, but more from social awkwardness then fear, the blonde seemed to hold a great weight on her shoulders. She often looked like she was missing someone terribly, but would never say who, though she was supremely intelligent, easily capable of being the smartest person in school. But more than anything else, she didn't move like a normal person. It was like a part of her was always expecting someone to attack her, as if her life was in constant danger. Nothing about her made sense to Hitomi's mind.

"So," Caroline said, bringing Hitomi out of her musings. "What did you want to talk to us about, sugar?"

Hitomi watched Elle take a deep breath, then gestured for them to follow her into the dressing room. The trio stood in front of the giant mirror at one of the gym, still out of sight of the other girls. Elle held out one of her hands, facing the mirror. "Take my hand, one of you, and looking the mirror."

The two friends shared looks, then shrugged, doing as she asked, Caroline first. The Latina took her hand, then looked in the mirror with a gasp.

At first, her eyes stayed on her reflection. The girl in the mirror had long, aqua blue hair that drifted clear to the floor. A helmet made of silver covered the top of her hair and face, delicate chains with sapphires hanging down, mixed with the hair. Her top was made of the same sapphire-incrested silver, though her shoulders and stomach were still bare. Silver armbands protected her entire lower arms. However, it was her lower half that was startling. It was the tail of fish, covered in silver and aqua blue scales. A spear was in her hand, seeming made to match her armor.

Then her eyes drifted to Elle's reflection. Her gold hair was the same, still in pigtails, though the pink was gone. The lower part of her face was covered in white cloth which extended to form a cape that drifted behind her. Her chest was barely covered by a piece of bright pink cloth. Her lower half was clothed in billowy white pants that sat low on her hips, the hems tucked into the brown boots on her feet. A brown belt with a gold buckle kept the pants up, but also held a dangerous looking sword. Gold armbands similar to the other girl's silver ones were on her wrists.

Stunned, Caroline let go of the other girl's hand, glad to see their reflections turn back to normal. Hitomi, not having seen anything unusual, then took Elle's hand. She also saw Elle's true form, but her eyes stayed locked on her own. She was dressed in a long, earth colored skirt, and she wasn't sure she even had feet anymore. A purple corset covered her top, though her sleeves were the same brown as her skirt. Much like Caroline's form, she had a helmet on that covered her upper face that matched her corset. Unlike Caroline, she didn't have a weapon in hand. Startled, Hitomi let go of Elle's hand.

The blonde didn't look repentant in the least. She just waited. Finally, Hitomi asked, "What was that?"

"The form you will take when you use these." She held up two strange looking devices: one was purple with brown edges, the other two different shades of blue. "The humanoid one, anyway. I have no idea what your beast forms look like."

"And how do you know any of this at all?" Caroline asked shakily.

Elle smiled mockingly. "Didn't you look in the mirror? However, you all need help to reach that form. I look that way anyway. You are humans with certain spirits inside of you that let you become one of my kind."

The Latina rolled her eyes. "Well, then how do you look like a normal girl now?"

"Lady Ophanimon." Elle shrugged. "She said that I'd blend in better this way. I had to find you two, plus the other eight."

"Eight?" Hitomi said, shocked. "There are eight other people who do this funny image thing too?"

Nodding, Elle said, "I don't think I'm explaining this well..." With a sigh, she said, "There's a meeting being held this weekend. Six of the ten have done this before, and can probably explain this better. Can your questions wait till then?"

The two best friends exchanged looks, then nodded. Elle walked away to let them absorb the news she just gave them.

Meanwhile, Koji and Kouichi had cornered Sakura during their free period. Well, not really cornered, seeing as when they tried that she had given them both bruises that they would be nursing for weeks. Rather, all three were sitting an empty lunch table. Sakura was digging through her bag, muttering under her breath, while the twins watched in amusement. Finally, she pulled out the black D-tector and the white and blue one as well. "See!" she said triumphantly. "I told you I had them in here somewhere!"

Stunned, Koji took his old D-tector from her. "Well what do you know... I guess the Digital World really is in trouble."

"Yes. It's a good thing Lady Ophanimon thought to send for us. Though I wonder about this Ellemon character. How can we be sure she can be trusted?" Kouichi mused.

Sakura shrugged. "She seems nice enough to me, though she has no social skills, at all."

"Some of the warrior type Digimon can be that way, though." Koji pointed out. "She is a warrior type, right?"

"If that rather sharp sword she carries around in her true form is any indication, yeah." Sakura said sarcastically. The twins chuckled at her sarcasm. "Anywho, I think she's going to sit down and give us the whole story when we meet up this weekend. I'll text you when I know what's going on." The three agreed, and they parted to finish the rest of the school day.

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_The world around her was in ruins. Not even when Lucemon had caused this much damage when she had been forced into assisting him. Her eyes couldn't accept what she was seeing... Or who she was seeing doing it._

_"Dynasmon!" she yelled as she grabbed his arm. "What are you doing? We don't have to do this anymore! Lucemon isn't controlling us!"_

_"Lord Lucemon was never controlling me! I served him because he gave me what I wanted!" the male Digimon argued. "You were the one forced into servitude the minute you came here!"_

_Startled, Ellemon withdrew her hand from touching him, "What do you mean, came here?"_

_"Look at yourself, weakling!" he sneered, before continuing to the task in front of him. Startled, she looked down only to scream. She was still human._

Gasping, Elle sat up straight on the couch, her heart still racing from the dream. Pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead, she whispered, "Oh please... Don't let that be true... Please." Looking outside, she saw that it was still late at night. With a sigh, she laid down to try and go back to sleep.


	6. Chapter 5

**I live, I live! And expect updates a little more often. I've got three stories I'm cycling. It takes me anywhere from a couple of days to a week to write a chapter. So in at least three weeks you'll have the next update for this story. That is much faster than what I normally write, so clap your hands and rejoice! That, and review. I'd appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frontier, at all. That's obvious by the fact I only just learned what Crusadormon digivolves from. ;;**

It was a beautiful day in the park. The sky had an occasional cloud, though it was mostly sunny. Birds and other small animals were just as common as children, their parents, and teenagers. Gathered in one corner of the park was a small group of teenagers, split evenly in half. On one side were five boys and one girl, all of them enjoying this last minute reunion. The other three girls were standing on the outskirts, none of them sure how to interact with the other group.

Finally having enough with the odd silence between the two groups, Tommy separated from his friends, who were questioning JP about college, and approached Sakura, where she stood with the two other newcomers. He had lost the oversized hat as he grew older, though he had taken to wearing an orange baseball cap instead. Dress comfortably in a pair of jeans, sneakers, t-shirt, and his letterman's jacket, he looked like the typical high school jock. "Hey, whatcha standing over here for?" he teased her. "Come on, meet the others."

"Tommy, what-? Oh, hi there!" the blonde girl said as she created the other girls. "You all are the new members of the team, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Zoey." Dressed comfortably in a pair of jean capris, white sneakers, a blue and white striped shirt very similar to the one she wore years ago, and a lavender hooded sweater she left unzipped, she had the look of cute and fashionable.

"Sakura," the short brunette responded simply. "Sakura Hino." The younger girl was an opposite of the blonde, dressed in a green camouflage t-shirt with orange, shiny letters on the front that said, "Bite me," a baggy pair of khaki pants, and combat boots.

The Latina stepped forward, eager to meet the other girl, "And I'm Caroline McAlester. It is a pleasure to meet you all." She winked at the guys flirtatiously. Much like Zoey, she dressed to the current fashion in a denim mini-skirt with black leggings underneath, a dark yellow tank under a white short-sleeved shirt that was slightly sheer, and black flats. Gold hoops dangled from her ears, matching the gold bangles around her left wrist. She had pinned her hair back, putting a sunflower on a clip, it dangling just behind her ear on the left side.

"You are definitely the Warrior of Water…" Zoey muttered in annoyance.

Before Caroline could respond, Koji stepped forward, his hands in his pant pockets. The years hadn't changed him too much; he still wore his hair long and tied it back at the nape of his neck, though he no longer had the odd, front strands that hung loose. The length was about down to his mid-back now, though it appeared to still be healthy. A black leather jacket was worn over a dark blue button-up shirt, the top few buttons left undone to better expose his toned chest, the wolf tooth hanging from his throat sitting in the center of the gap perfectly. Dressed in black jeans and boots, he had a rocker image now that suited him well. "Where is this Ellemon, anyway? This is wasting time."

"Elle is probably on her way," Hitomi said mildly. "The walk is longer for her than us, and she doesn't know the city." The redhead had pinned her long hair up in a bun rather than leave it loose like the other girls, exposing her long neck. Her clothes were simpler then her best friend: a pair of skinny cut jeans, brown flats, a dark violet long-sleeve shirt with flared sleeves, and a wide brown belt at the small of her waist to accent how small she really was. She was eyeing the elder twin out of the corner of her eyes as she spoke. He hadn't changed much over the years, either, his hair cut to his chin and just as shaggy as before. He was dressed simply as well in a pair of khaki pants, sneakers, black long-sleeved shirt, and an undone button-up short-sleeved shirt.

"Well, I for one am ready to meet her for myself," JP spoke up as the two groups finished converging into one. "I haven't heard a peep from her." The years had been kind to the oldest member of the group. No longer pudgy, but still bigger than the other guys, he dressed better than he had before in a blue sports coat, yellow shirt, khaki pants, and brown shoes. He had recently told the others he was working as a magician's apprentice and helper, and was required to dress more professionally than the average college student.

Takuya patted the older boy on the back. "Neither have the rest of us, buddy, except the new kids and Zoey. We all found out through Sakura." Older but just as reckless, the former Warrior of Flame had changed the least of them all. His clothes today were near identical to those ten years ago, changed very slightly by the fact he was in jeans rather than cut off pants and he had nixed the gloves.

"She isn't exactly social, either," Zoey spoke up grumpily. "She threw me up against a wall."

"Elle was nicer than I would have been…" Sakura muttered, causing the other two girls found by Elle to snicker. The three new ones were protective of the Digimon sent to fetch them, Sakura especially. None of the others were being very understanding about a creature not use to their world being transformed into a completely different species and thrown into a strange environment to track down a bunch of human teenagers…

That, and the youngest girl did not like the way Zoey casually wrapped put her hand on Tommy's shoulder or arm when she spoke to him.

The blonde girl turned and glared at the brunette. "Hey, that was uncalled for! If anything, you should be on my side!"

"Why? Because we are so similar?" Sakura practically snarled. "Elle and I have more in common than you and I do! You are being a royal pain in the-."

"Sakura!" Tommy said sharply, looking at his soccer teammate with astonished disapproval. She scowled back at him, preparing to say something sharp in return.

"Enough!" The sharp, demanding order echoed across where the teens were gathered. Everyone turned to see Elle, dressed the same as she was her first day of school. She strode into the clearing as smooth as could be, commanding attention and respect with every pore of her body. The Digimon-turned-human glared at each of the nine around in her turn. "You are the Legendary Warriors. Stories of your greatness, both in the original battle and the one ten years ago, are told to baby Digimon, and taught more thoroughly to In-Training Digimon in school. Even now, my people remember your honorable actions and practically worship your names, while they treat me…" Stopping herself just in time, she 

shook her head. "Now you are squabbling like the school children you were when you went to my world the last time. Is this what I was sent for to save my people and our world? If so, I think I stand a better chance of forcing myself to digivolve further and taking on our enemies than you lot do."

Each of the teenagers looked properly ashamed of themselves, once reminded of what they were called together for. The silence was broken by JP getting his D-Tector thrown at him. He scrambled to catch it, breathing a sigh of relief when it was safely in his hands. Koji couldn't help but chuckle at his scrambling, and then eyed this new girl carefully. "So, you're Ellemon, huh? Are you ready to tell us why you were sent to get us?"

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as if to fight a headache. "I don't know all the details," she admitted, "Just what Lady Ophanimon told me to make me come here. As you know, the entire Digital world, including all its inhabitants, are made up of data, similar to what exists in your computers. And much like your computers, that world is susceptible to viruses. Apparently, one is infecting Digimon, to the state it has become an epidemic. They have reached the point that not even the Lords and the Lady can keep up. Rather than risk losing our world to this threat, she sent me here to fetch you nine, plus whoever is the Legendary of Metal."

"Scared of being infected, huh? That's why you came?" Koji commented suspiciously.

"No. I'm scared for my friend!" she snapped back at him. For the first time, her expression softened as she gazed off into the distance. "He's my only friend… We were always together, always, until…" Shaking her head, the expression left her face and she continued, her tone fierce, "He is most likely still in his In-Training form, and anyone who has been to the Digital World knows exactly how vulnerable Digimon are at that stage, especially to virus infections."

"What stage are you at?" Sakura asked the girl curiously.

"Champion, two stages above In-Training. I've been higher, though… Clear to my Mega stage…" Her tone sounded so wistful, it hurt all of the true humans' hearts. "I've never actually met another of my species of Digimon. I assume we are all destroyed because of what I did…"

"What did you do?" Takuya asked. The pigtailed girl stayed silent. "Ooookay… Never mind. So, when do we leave?"

Shrugging, Elle admitted, "We can't till I find the tenth Warrior. According to Lady Ophanimon, the ten D-Tectors are the only power source linked to the Digital World. It takes all ten being in the hands of their true owners and linked together in a specific order."

Zoey chose then to speak up, "What's the order?"

Elle sighed, then gestured as she spoke, "Fire and Light are opposite each other. To the right of Fire is Ice, to the left is Wood. On the right of Light is Dark, to left is Metal. Right of Dark is Water, and left of Metal is Thunder. Right of Ice is Wind, and left of Wood is Earth." The teens moved as she spoke, taking on the formation she spoke of.

"Like this?" Tommy asked, and the girl in the center nodded. "Where do you go?"

"In the center. The ten of you will bring me with you when you create the circle."

"Huh," Sakura said, tilting her head to the side. "Hey, did you bring the tenth D-whatever with you?"

Rolling her eyes in amusement, Elle reached into her pocket and pulled out an object shaped like a D-Tector, though it was wrapped in white cloth. Sensing the question before Sakura, Hitomi, or Caroline even had a chance to ask, she said in explanation, "It isn't mine. It wouldn't feel right to handle it."

Caroline chose to speak up, "I'm sure the owner wouldn't really mind, hon. Why don't you take their place, so we can memorize our places? I wouldn't want to forget where I went."

It was a simple enough suggestion. Elle took the place where the missing human would be, her pink-streaked blonde pigtails swinging behind her. Turning around, she watched these nine take in how they were going to stand once their tenth companion was found. In her hands, she felt the D-Tector grow warm, and she glanced down at it curiously. Was… Was that the screen glowing? Removing the fabric obscuring the screen, she gasped when it lit up with a bright light, a beam shooting out of the top. Out of the pockets of the other humans came similar lights. As the teenagers pulled out the devices to check them, the beams all met in the center.

"Elle, what's happening?" Koji asked from beside her.

"I… I don't know!" she answered, her eyes wide with disbelief. The beams had formed an orb, and that orb quickly grew till it encompassed all ten of them. Behind the glowing curtain, the scenery began to swirl and change, like a watercolor painting that had water thrown on it and was now being flapped rapidly to dry it. It was disorienting for all inside it, and of them all, only one wasn't able to handle it. That one fell backwards, feeling like they were being ripped apart and thrown back together again.

_Running across the living room on stocking feet, the little blonde girl dressed in a pink dress with a white sash passed by the furniture and a grown woman as a blur, her pigtails swinging behind her. The woman, a blue-eyed redhead who had an attractive pixie cut and dressed in a simple dark blue skirt, white shirt, and pale blue cardigan, smiled and laughed at the child's eagerness. The front door swung open, and a blonde man dressed in a charcoal suit walked into the room, gray eyes tired and fatigued. However, his whole expression brightened and he knelt down, sweeping the little girl into his arms and swinging her around as he stood up. "Papa!" she laughed joyfully. "Papa, look at the dress Mama made me!"_

"_Well, let's see," he agreed, holding her out to see her better. "Wow, don't you look pretty." Eyeing his wife as he pulled the little girl back comfortably into his arms, he added, "Just like your mama…" The woman stood and approached, wrapping her arms around both her husband and her small child. "And your mama and papa both love you, Ran…"_

**Ran translates to Orchid, Japanese to English. Just for your info…**

**R&R, please!**


	7. Chapter 6

**I would love to make excuses… I'll spare you. However, a couple of reviewer responses:**

**TwiDawnLight—…Jan-Jan? **

**alamodie—I know, I know. My life got high-jacked by college, another story, and writer's block. However, this one goes to you since your review made me laugh when I went back to check my reviews for this story. Have no fears about my plot, it makes sense, just wait for it. I expect you to be confused a little about that. I know it was predictable, sorry.**

**Disclaimer: Duh! Of course I don't own this!**

Her mind was groggy as she woke. It felt like a herd of Mammothmon had run over her, or something similar to it. "Papa…?" she muttered, still lost in the strange dream. Exclamations of surprise and remembrance echoed around her, bringing her back from where she had fallen. Shaking her head, Elle sat up carefully, her legs folded underneath her with her upper body's weight balancing on the palm of her hands. She transferred the weight to one arm and rested the other on her hip, trying to find her inner sense of her home world. It echoed through her core, just as it always had. That pounding pulse pushed away the dream in the sudden transport had given her. A dream that made no sense to her… Much like her past one involving Dynasmon…

"Elle! Elle!" Sakura called from the hilltop she stood on, it covered completely by flowers. She smiled and waved back, the sun only slightly glaring in her eyes. It felt good to be home.

"I don't recognize this place…" she heard from beside her. Turning her head, she saw that Koji was stretched out beside her, eyes looking around him casually. His jacket was off, but she didn't know where till she adjusted her position and felt something slid off her shoulders. It had been placed over her while she was blacked out, she realized now. It was reaching for it that she froze, bringing her hand up to her face. Her wrist guards weren't back. And if she was lying on this side, her sword should be awkwardly pressing into her side, which it wasn't.

She was still human.

Elle's hand began to shake, and she ran it over her face, trying to gather her composure. The trembling spread to her entire body. She felt the weight of the jacket on her shoulders once more, and heard Koji ask her, "Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Her tone was bland and cool, no emotion leaking into it. She was Crusadermon, one of the thirteen Royal Knights… Or at least, a form of Crusadermon. Lady Ophanimon was trusting her to get these nine kids to the Forest Terminal. Her own problems were of little consequence. Standing up on shaky legs, it took her a few moments to find her center of balance once more. "This is a field that is at the edge of the Light region. It doesn't directly lead anywhere, so I doubt that you passed through it before. However, the Light terminal isn't too far, and there should be a Trailmon there waiting for us." Her pigtails swung behind her as she began to walk over the hill. Koji had stood and followed her.

The other teenagers gathered around as she came forward. Those who had been here before, much like her, looked like they had finally come home. The others simply couldn't believe what their eyes were seeing. "We need to get moving," she said coolly, "Lady Ophanimon is waiting."

Those who had met the Celestial Digimon before nodded in understanding, and even those who hadn't were eager to get moving as well. Before Elle could completely withdraw into her emotional shell, Caroline grabbed on to Hitomi's arm and squealed, "Oh, isn't this so exciting? I could just die!" It was such a Caroline thing to say it was all Elle could do not to smile.

A couple of the others flinched, but Sakura rolled her eyes and brought her hands up onto the back of her head as she took a few steps backwards so she was in front. "Are we going sometime today, or are we just going to wait till the next century passes?" she quipped sarcastically. It earned her some laughs, and with a smirk she turned and started running. Like ducklings, the others followed, though Elle stayed behind, as did Koji though she didn't notice him at first.

"Where are they going? They don't know the way…" she mused out loud in confusion. The older boy laughed beside her, making her jerk her head to glare at him.

"After dealing with Takuya, you figure out rather quickly that as long as they have a vague direction to go in, they'll find their own way to it. Haven't you heard about how we got split up on our trip to the Forest Terminal, and Takuya, Tommy, and I ended up arriving by a toy airplane?" he told her with a confident smile. Her glares didn't affect him, not when he used to be the one giving them.

Her curiosity was piqued, and he began to recall the story to her as they followed the others at a more sedate pace. While she didn't roar with laughter or even giggle like a normal girl would have, she did occasionally laugh or chuckle at the right points in his memory. She asked questions about other encounters, though she also pointedly avoided any talk that led to memories of what happened after Cherubimon's defeat. In return, Koji asked her questions about what happened after the five children left to save his brother in the human world.

When they finally caught up to the others, they were pulled from the bubble they had created between them by Sakura. "Slow poke," she teased Elle as she grabbed the other girl roughly by the arm, pulling her forward despite her smaller size, "Hurry up! The others are waiting at the empty train station!"

Elle stumbled at first, surprised by the force of the human girl's tug, but otherwise let herself be led to the Trailmon station. Takuya, Zoey, JP, and Tommy were looking along the tracks, obviously trying to find a Trailmon. Rolling her eyes, Elle walked over to the far wall, the one that had the tracks running through it that went the opposite way of the Forest Terminal. There, a large red button waited to be pushed. With her fingertips, she pressed it into the wall. Not only did it stay flat against the surface of the wall now, but it also began to glow bright blue. "There," she said calmly, "A Trailmon is on its way. I'd suggest getting off the tracks."

As JP and Tommy scrambled up the sides of the train platform, the three new warriors began pelting their predecessors with questions, much to Elle's amusement. She stayed safely out of the way, knowing that out of sight typically meant out of mind. She noted how the group was already forming a sense of hierarchy and roles.

Elle wanted nothing to do with it.

Her job was to get them to Lady Ophanimon so they could do what needed to be done, whatever that was. _She_ was leaving immediately after she was returned to her _correct_ form to find Dynasmon so she could be sure he was safe from this virus. She seriously doubted he was farther along than the In-Training stage, and knew he needed protection until he became Champion-level like her. She would have to ask Lady Ophanimon what Dynasmon's form would be with him in this stage of development.

"Chu, chu! Oh dear…. Chu, chu!"

"Oh sweet data, it's Mole…" Elle muttered darkly, her eyes clenching shut as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Mole?" Sakura voiced the girls' group confusion. Before more could be said, the pink Trailmon came into the train station. "Oh…" the brunette finally said weakly.

"Where are you going? Is it too far?" the large Digimon asked, rolling its eyes to look at Elle as she came to stand nearby.

"The Forest Terminal, to see Lady Ophanimon. You and I both know you can make it there just fine," she informed it dryly. "There are ten of us, is there room on your cars?"

Mole sighed, before finally saying, "I just emptied out. Take the front car to yourself."

"Thank you so very much," Caroline piped up when Elle reached for the doors without saying anything else.

"Don't encourage it," the blonde warned as she opened the door.

The pink Trailmon sniffed before saying, "All aboard then."

Takuya was the first to jump up, offering his hand to Zoey to help her; she beamed up at him and took the unnecessary help. Before she was aware what happened, Tommy had lifted up Sakura by her waist to help her up, jumping up behind her. She, in turn whirled around and whapped him. Hitomi and Kouichi climbed on together, and JP mockingly bowed and offered his arm to Caroline, who took it with delight, leaving behind Elle and Koji.

He climbed in first, before turning and offer her a hand up, though she had both already wrapped around the handrails, her foot propped up against the baseboard. Ignoring his hand, she jumped up, turning to close the doors behind her.

"You're really independent, aren't you?" he asked, only half-joking, as she followed him into the much roomier part of the car.

She shrugged, obviously not in the mood to chat. Taking a seat far from where the rest of the group was sprawled out, the Digimon sat sideways, pulling her knees up to her chest with a sigh as she looked absently out the window.

_Dynasmon… Are you alright…?_


End file.
